2026 Summer Food Chemical and Health Equity Internship

The Center for Science in the Public Interest offers a paid internship program for students in undergraduate, graduate, law and medical schools, and we also consider postgraduates. These paid internships offer structured work experiences and an opportunity to:

• Gain substantial knowledge of public health advocacy, especially as it relates to food chemical safety and health equity, and the use of science to inform public policy.
• Obtain general research and communication skills by working closely with science, policy, and outreach experts to conduct literature reviews, perform landscape analysis, develop an engagement plan, and created additional written materials.
• Participate in group meetings and strategy brainstorming sessions.
• Meet with staff at all levels of the organization to discuss career roles and paths.
• Assess your own interests and skills.

About CSPI

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, your food and health watchdog, is one of the nation’s leading public health advocacy organizations with a 50-year record of fighting for science in the public interest and working to improve the food environment for all. We’ve led efforts to win passage of many state and local policies to improve school foods, put calories on chain restaurant menus and menu boards, and remove sugary drinks from children’s menus. National policy successes include the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act; Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act; Food Safety Modernization Act; Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act; and the federal ban on the carcinogenic food color, Red 3. CSPI has also been involved in broader public health advocacy on issues such as scientific integrity, alcohol policy, agency transparency, and the regulation of selected medical products.

About the Internship Opportunity

The intern will support CSPI's efforts to integrate health equity into its existing work on food chemical safety. The intern will conduct a scoping review to identify and summarize peer-reviewed evidence on the contribution of food chemicals (additives and contaminants) to health disparities, and perform a landscape analysis to gather information on underrepresented professors/researchers, Minority-serving institutions, and health equity-oriented groups who are engaged in or have expressed an interest in food chemical safety research or policy. This work will be performed under the co-supervision of CSPI’s Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements and Director of Health Equity and Social Impact.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducting a scoping review to identify and summarize peer-reviewed evidence on the contribution of food chemicals (additives and contaminants) to health disparities or on differential exposures to food chemicals by race, ethnicity, and other socially stratifying identities and disproportionate outcomes
• Performing a landscape analysis to gather information on underrepresented professors/researchers and Minority-serving institutions that engage in or support research efforts in food chemicals
• Helping to identify and cultivate partnerships with local, national, and state local groups engaged in work at the intersection of food chemical safety and health equity
• Assisting the team in developing well-written, persuasive materials, such as reports, fact sheets, letters, talking points, and social media

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate degree program (doctoral program preferred) in public health, epidemiology, toxicology, or related field
• Demonstrated experience or interested in health equity
• Excellent research and writing skills with ability to read, analyze, interpret, and summarize public health and health equity research
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage tasks appropriately to achieve project goals
• Leadership, organizing, or community engagement experience is a plus

What Else You Should Know

CSPI pays interns $17.95 per hour at the start of the internship. Intern pay will increase to $18.40 per hour effective 7/1/2026 (this may be adjusted to meet state/local minimum wage laws related to the work location). Our 10-week summer intern program is full-time (40 hours per week). We provide two paid holidays (Juneteenth and Independence Day), ½ day Fridays, and up to two days of paid sick leave. The ideal start date is late May/early June, but we will work with applicants if there’s a schedule conflict. The internship is remote (must be in the US), with the opportunity to work from our DC office if desired.

As a public health organization, CSPI makes efforts to maintain a safe workplace for employees and visitors. We require all employees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are eligible, and the vaccine is available to them. Proof of vaccination is required during the onboarding process.

CSPI on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CSPI is committed to including and valuing diverse voices and fostering a culture that ensures all staff feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to be their best selves. In that spirit, each of us is committed to putting in constant work to live up to our organization’s core values:

• We are inclusive. We seek to foster an environment where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are affirmed. We actively welcome and value staff with different experiences, backgrounds, attributes, abilities, and perspectives.
• We are open. We are honest, direct, and respectful in how we communicate with each other.
•  We are kind. We communicate and treat one another in a generous, considerate, and compassionate way.
• We are collaborative. We work together for the common good, seek input from those impacted by our work, and celebrate our shared successes.
• We are accountable. We acknowledge and assume responsibility for our actions, learn from our mistakes with humility, and change course when circumstances warrant.

https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-internship/ee97dbd26c204f2d96562ba2f7458d6b-2026-summer-food-chemical-and-health-equity-internship-center-for-science-in-the-public-interest-washington?utm_source=symplicity&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=listings-api